Ban on remembering Atatürk backfires in Turkey
Satirical Turkish web site Zaytung - the equivalent of The Onion, issued hypothetical “breaking news” yesterday. It said that international departures at Ankara’s Esenboğa airport were overloaded due to Nov. 10 traffic.
It was making fun of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) officials, who choose to stay out of the capital during official ceremonies to commemorate Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, on this 74th year of his passing. Similar jokes have been whispered in ears over the last two days, as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan decided to extend his Indonesia visit to Brunei, after getting an invitation from its sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah. This means that Erdoğan could not be back in Ankara to attend the Atatürk Day ceremonies.
More:MURAT YETKİN - Ban on remembering Atatürk backfires in Turkey